Ni no Kuni II has online multiplayer, returning characters teased -- A short interview with Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom will have online multiplayer, developer Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino confirmed in an official Bandai Namco interview released today.

“There will be multiplayer,” Hino said. “You will be able to play online with your friends in various capacities.”

Asked whether we’d see returning characters, Hino said, “Although I can confirm that there will be all sorts of cool characters in this sequel, for now the characters that are returning will remain secret. I would love for our fans to play the game and enjoy the surprises.”

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom will launch for PlayStation 4 and PC on November 10.

Get the full interview and transcript below.

Tell us a little bit about the game.

Hino: “This is the sequel to the very successful game Ni no Kuni, which was also released here in the U.S. This time around, our protagonist is a child who is tasked with unifying the world. He does this by travelling to different countries and fighting various enemies throughout the world.”

Tell us about the gameplay modes and styles

Hino: “At its core, Ni no Kuni is an RPG game where you traverse the world map and go on adventures. However, a large part of the mechanics of the game deal with the kingdom building. Throughout your adventure you collect things to help your kingdom grow, and that is a big part of the gameplay as well.”

Tell us about the characters.

Hino: “Although there will be a wide range of characters Evan will encounter in Ni no Kuni, today I’d like to focus our attention on the five kings we will encounter in the story. As he travels to these different kingdoms, he encounters different kings. Each of these kingdoms Evan travels to has their own respective issues and problems. Through helping the kingdoms resolve these issues, Evan grows as a leader, as a king. There are important lessons that Evan learns from each kingdom, which help him grow as a leader.”

How did you improve the battle system?

Hino: “Even in the era of the first Ni no Kuni, I could tell that there was a new trend in RPG combat. People really wanted something cool and flashy. So we put a lot of effort towards the effects and action sequences in our combat system. We also significantly improved the system mechanics behind switching characters. Additionally, Higgledies can be used to help stop a boss or to implement a special attack. There will be multiple levels of strategy in switching characters for different kinds of support. Compared to standard RPG combat, this gameplay is really fun.”

Will the old cast return, such as Mr. Drippy or Oliver?

Hino: “Although I can confirm that there will be all sorts of cool characters in this sequel, for now the characters that are returning will remain secret. I would love for our fans to play the game and enjoy the surprises.”

Will there be multiplayer?

Hino: “Yes, there will be multiplayer. You will be able to play online with your friends in various capacities.”

Do I have to play the first game to understand the story?

Hino: “So this is a completely different story. Even those who have not yet played the original will enjoy immersing themselves into this game. That being said, there are easter eggs that players familiar with the original will notice, and they might enjoy the game on a different level than those who have not played the original. But either way, you will still be able to enjoy the game all the same.”